One of the most important female characters by the end of the book, in my opinion, is Esther. Gabriel and Esther engage in an affair that “lasted only nine days,” yet by the end of the novel this affair threatens not only Gabriel’s credibility but his very chance at salvation. Esther’s legacy is critical to the plot of the story, even if she is no longer alive to speak out against Gabriel herself. For that reason, I wanted to do a close reading of both Esther and her biblical namesake to draw out some of Baldwin’s messaging.
From Part Two onwards, the language that surrounds Esther is associated with salvation (or a lack thereof). Gabriel describes his first sexual encounter with her as a “fall,” with the narrator explaining “so he had fallen: for the first time since his conversion, for the last time in his life. Fallen” (121). But it wasn’t the last time in his life by any means. We learn that Esther “contained in her narrow body all mystery and all passion” –– “sin, death, Hell, the judgement were blotted out” in her presence (121). It is clear that Gabriel views Esther as a seductress, and her beauty is vital to her character. When Esther flees North to Chicago, she flees with money “stole[n]” by Gabriel from Deborah (129).
Esther’s flight offers an important parallel to her namesake, the biblical Esther. In the Bible, Esther is “a young Jewish woman living in exile in the Persian diaspora” (Crawford). According to Bible scholars, Esther’s story is important as an example for all those living in exile. The biblical Esther is beautiful (like Baldwin’s character), and she ultimately becomes the queen of the Persian Empire. There are notable similarities between the two women, but there are also notable differences. For example, both women are highly sexualized, they both flee from their home, and they are descended from enslaved peoples. The most marked difference between the two Esthers, then, would seem to be their success. The biblical Esther successfully saves the Jewish people from genocide by currying favor with the King of Persia.
It might seem, on first glance, that Baldwin’s Esther is “unsuccessful” in her quest to live a happy life up North. Yet at the end of Go Tell It On The Mountain, her story offers a sort of salvation to Florence and all those harmed by Gabriel. Florence boldly declares, with Esther’s legacy as her witness, that Gabriel “done made enough folks pay for sin, it’s time you started paying” (208). Florence explains that she is “going to find some way –– some way, I don’t know how –– to rise up and tell it, tell everybody, about the blood the Lord’s anointed got on his hands” (208). In this way, Baldwin’s Esther offers salvation to Elizabeth, John, the congregation, and anyone who Gabriel claims to have power over. Esther’s tragic death and Gabriel’s abandonment of Roy is evidence that Gabriel is no prophet or anointed one. Hence, like the biblical Esther, Baldwin’s Esther is ultimately a woman who saves her people.
I found your take on Esther really interesting. As someone who is not super interested in Theology, I merely studied for the exams of that class and kind of forgot about everything after that. Your blog post really helped me understand why Baldwin named the character Esther and her Biblical reference, which I was previously unaware of.
I’m glad that you wrote about this because I’ve been asking myself why Esther? I didn’t really understand why Baldwin would give an unholy woman the name of a queen in the Bible, but now I see the connection. This book has been an interesting read for me because externally the women are disrespected and treated as objects, but when we dig deeper into the text, the women actually play a more important role. It appears that the women play a large role than they even realize.
I think it is interesting, too, that Esther is viewed by Gabriel as a seductress. In a way, it seems like Esther is opening Gabriel up to pleasure, and potentially gesturing at what it could mean to be religious in a different way. In this quote, “sin, death, Hell, the judgement were blotted out” in her presence (121), it seems to say that Esther blots out these dark sides of the faith that are usually emphasized to scare people into changing their ways. Esther might have a role, then, in showing the reader that the scare tactics of religion might not encompass it entirely. In other words, she shows that the religious and profane can mix.
Your comments and inclusion on Esther’s narrative in the Bible I find particularly interesting, especially with notable themes of exile and flight. I’m wondering how these notions might be expanded upon when we look at Baldwin’s own exile from America to France. Does Baldwin relate to other characters who share a migrant/refugee status? Does he hope to offer the same salvation as a witness of the black lived experience, and is this necessarily dependent on death?